Posts Tagged ‘healthy low calorie foods’

Nutritious Low Calorie Foods for Dinner

June 14th, 2009

Dinner should be the lightest meal of the day, but full of nutritious low calorie foods. When it’s cold, I love warm homemade soups. In the summer, grilled organic vegetables with salmon or chicken breasts. Light and simple. You are preparing your body to rest for the night. If you overburden your digestive system with heavy food, then you get heartburn and any unused calories end up stored away as fat. A good rule of thumb is to stop eating anything but fruit after a certain hour. When I’m good, I don’t like to eat past 7 pm. In the summer, It’s easy to get in the habit of eating late because the sun stays out so long. The later you eat, the lighter it should be. Be sure you use healthy low calorie foods like the ones listed below.

Here are some of my delicious low calorie foods for dinners that I love to eat!

Grilled Vegetables with Wild Alaskan Salmon. There is no better way to eat your veges than to grill them. I love to slice zucchini, sweet onion, asparagus, and tomatoes or any high fiber low calorie foods you have in the fidge. I coat them with olive oil, then grill them slowly for 20 minutes or so. While I’m grilling my vegetables, I marinate the salmon. I like to use Makoto’s ginger dressing for a spicy, sweet gingery flavor, or sometimes a dressing made with fresh squeezed lemon, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt. . When the vegetables are finished, I grill the salmon. I like to garnish with a few bits of crystallized ginger on top. That’s it! Simple and easy. Even my 7 year old son loves this meal!

Vegetable soup. There is nothing like a warm bowl of soup to fill your tummy on a chilly evening. This recipe is my weight loss special. It’s on the top of my healthiest low calorie foods list. I love to eat it for snacks too.

Saute 2 onions and 3 carrots in garlic and olive oil until slightly tender. Add 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Add chicken bouillon, 2 diced potatoes (skins off), 1/2 shredded cabbage, 2 cans dices tomatoes and a little bit of tomato paste. Add the zucchini last for a filling low calorie dinner.

Taco salad. This is one of my favorite high energy low calorie foods. Brown turkey and add taco powder. Make a salad of shredded romaine lettuce , red leaf, or whatever kind you prefer. Top with a 1/2 cup taco meat, 1/4 cup salsa of your choice, a dollop of low-fat sour cream and sprinkle a tablespoon of cheddar cheese for a filling low calorie dinner. Delicious!

Greek Lentil Salad. This is the most nutrient dense low calorie foods I make. Everything is so good for you! Mix 1/2 cup drained canned lentils with 1/4 cup each of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion. Dress with 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of oregano and 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese. This Salad is shock full of filling low calorie foods!

Bon Apetite!

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Posted in Food, Health/Nutrition, Weight Loss

Tags: healthiest low calorie foods healthy healthy low calorie foods high energy low calorie foods high fiber low calorie foods low calorie foods nutrient dense low calorie foods nutritious low calorie foodsfood

Healthy Low Calorie Foods for Lunch

June 13th, 2009

: Image by kerryj.comvia Flickr

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, lunch definitely comes a close second! It’s almost midway through the day, and it’s important to re-fuel yourself, but not to eat too heavy that you want to fall asleep at your desk. I love to eat big salads with protein for the healthiest low calorie foods. I like to stay around 350-400 calories or so for lunch. Here are some of my healthiest low calorie favorites!

Garden salad with lean protein. I love to mix baby spinach with arugula. I add celery, tomatoes, carrots and about 3-4 ounces of lean chicken, salmon, or tuna. Don’t skimp on the spinach or vegetables becasue they are the lowest calorie foods. Salads are some of the most nutritious low calorie foods you can eat. If you like , you can add a tablespoon of goat or feta cheese for added flavor. I dress it with a mix of olive oil, crushed garlic clove, Celtic sea salt to taste and a lot of fresh squeezed lemon juice. I’ve gotten use to salad dressings without vinegar. Fresh Lemon alkalizes your body. I use it on almost everything!

Fresh Vegetables with Hummus. Yum, yum, yum…what else can I say about hummus! . Hummus is not that high in fat. It’s got the good fat – olive oil. I eat about 1/2 cup at lunch with all the fresh, filling low calorie vegetables I have on hand. Crisp celery, sugar snap peas, carrots, or just about any vegetable you prefer is delicious. This is soooo easy and provides lots of high fiber low calorie foods for lunch!

Vegetable sandwich on Eskiel bread. Eskiel bread is my all time favorite! It’s loaded with fiber and made from sprouted grain full of enzymes my body needs. I prefer the sesame. I keep it in the freezer and toast it to make sandwiches. I know in Weight Watchers each slice is 1 point. I like to spread the bread with mustard , then layer lettuce, sprouts, dill pickles, sweet onion, tomato and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Every now and then I’ll add avocado if I have some and can afford the extra calories. The whole sandwich is 4-6 points, depending if you have the avocado or not.

Quinoa with lightly steamed vegetables. Quinoa is considered a perfect protein. Quinoa is a South American grain. It’s been around for over 6000 years. The Incas considered it sacred and called it the “mother of all grain”. I like to cook quinoa in chicken broth. When there’s about 5 minutes left to cook, I throw in cut up vegetables to soften them a bit. I like to use celery, asparagus and zucchini, or any healthy low calorie foods of your choice. I eat it with fresh squeezed lemon and often a tablespoon of humus mixed in. Simply divine!

Bon Apetite!